1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the field of advanced intelligent networks and more particularly to service logic execution environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of the open network application programming interface (API) represents an important departure from traditional methods for opening the architecture of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). One such open network API, the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) API and architecture, defines a call model which allows the creation of telecommunications service applications outside of the switch environment. Telecommunications service applications are a"" la carte telecommunications applications which can perform enhanced services for a telecommunications session established among two or more parties. Exemplary services applications can include Call Waiting, Caller ID, Call Forwarding, Voice Activated Dialing, and Meet-me Conferencing.
When AIN first had been introduced, in terms of the service application creation process, the AIN architecture represented an important advance. AIN separated service development from switching, allowing service logic components to be developed more quickly and placed in specialized network elements attached to databases. Switches, in turn, being free from all service logic, could be optimized for speed and efficiency. Still, typical service applications developed to the AIN specification are written in specialized languages by specially trained programmers using specialized service creation environments.
Importantly, future telecommunications networks will be characterized by new and evolving network architectures where packet-switched, circuit-switched, and wireless networks are integrated to offer subscribers an array of innovative multimedia, multiparty applications. Equally important, it is expected that the process by which telecommunications applications are developed will change, and will no longer solely be the domain of the telecommunications network or service application provider. In fact, in order to provide a broad portfolio of novel, compelling applications rapidly, service application providers will increasingly turn to third-party applications developers and software vendors. Thus, application development in the telecommunications domain will become more similar to that in software and information technology in general, with customers reaping the benefits of increased competition, reduced time to market, and the rapid leveraging of new technology as it is developed.
To make this vision a reality, the principles of AIN have been discarded in favor of a new service application component development paradigm. Specifically, it has been recognized that future integrated networks must offer application developers a set of standard, open APIs so that applications written for compatibility with one vendor""s system can execute in the system of another vendor. In consequence, the cost of applications development can be amortized, reducing the final cost to the customer. Java APIs for Integrated Networks (JAIN) fulfills the requirements of the new service application component development paradigm. Presently, JAIN includes standard, open, published Java APIs for next-generation systems consisting of integrated Internet Protocol (IP) or asynchronous transport mode (ATM) networks, PSTN, and wireless networks. The JAIN APIs include interfaces at the protocol level, for different protocols such as Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and Transactional Capabilities Application Part (TCAP), as well as protocols residing in the higher layers of the telecommunications protocol stack.
JAIN includes a set of integrated network APls for the Java platform and an environment to build and integrate JAIN components into services or applications that work across PSTN, packet and wireless networks. The JAIN approach integrates wireline, wireless, and packet-based networks by separating service-based logic from network-based logic. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional JAIN implementation. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional JAIN implementation can include a protocol layer 102 which can include interfaces to IP, wireline and wireless signaling protocols. Though only TCAP, JCC and H.323 protocols 110 are shown, the protocols supported by the JAIN specification are not limited to particular protocols and can include, for example, TCAP, ISUP, INAP, MAP, SIP, MGCP, and H.323. Moreover, the JAIN implementation can include an interface to a connectivity management and call control protocol such as JCC. The conventional JAIN implementation also can include an application layer 104 for handling secure network access and other external services. Finally, the conventional JAIN implementation can include a service layer 106 which can include a service creation and carrier grade service logic execution environment (SLEE) 108.
Service components 112 are the core JAIN components and can execute in the SLEE 108. More particularly, service components 112 can implement telephony and network services and can be constructed according to a standard component model. Instantiations of service component assemblies execute in coordination with the SLEE 108. In operation, using information regarding the protocol layer 102 which can be incorporated into the SLEE 108, service components 112 can interact with an underlying protocol stack 110 without having specific knowledge of the protocol stack 110. More importantly, the SLEE 108 can relieve the service components 112 of conventional lifecycle responsibilities by providing portable support for transactions, persistence, load balancing, security, and object and connection instance pooling. In this way, the service components 112 can focus on providing telephony and/or network services.
Notably, the SLEE 110 can be communicatively linked directly to client components such as external applications 116, protocol stacks 110 and service components 112. For example, service components 112 executing at the service layer 106 in the SLEE 108 can communicate with protocol stacks 110 in the protocol layer through protocol adapters in the SLEE 108. Protocol adapters typically can include class methods, callbacks, encapsulating interfaces, or event handlers. In many cases, an underlying protocol stack 110 can directly communicate with the SLEE 108 through an event table 114 in the SLEE 108 which can be configured to specifically handle events which are particular to the underlying protocol stack 110. In consequence, the SLEE 108 can recognize those particular events, and upon receipt of such an event from the underlying protocol stack 110, the SLEE 108 can pass the event to a subscribing service component 112.
Despite the apparent advantages of the JAIN specification, however, conventional implementations of the JAIN specification include some drawbacks. In particular, in order to relieve service components of the complexities of communicating with client components, the SLEE requires specific knowledge of the client components. For instance, to communicate with the protocol stacks in the protocol layer, the SLEE requires specific knowledge of the underlying protocol stacks as will be apparent from corresponding event tables which can be used to facilitate communications between the SLEE and an underlying protocol stack.
Including specific client component information in the SLEE, however, can add unnecessary complexity to the SLEE. From a life-cycle maintenance perspective this can be problematic. Also, including client component information in the SLEE unnecessarily directly binds the SLEE to particular client components. Finally, directly binding the SLEE to particular client components can require the positioning of the application layer, protocol layer and the service layer in close computing proximity to one another. Hence, what is needed is a more flexible system and method for communicatively linking a SLEE to client components.
The present invention is an application execution environment for an intelligent network in which a service logic execution environment (SLEE) in the application execution environment can be configured to communicate with client components without having specific knowledge of the implementation of each client component. The present invention solves the deficiencies of the prior art by removing specific client component information from the SLEE and substituting therefor a connector/wrapper communications interface. The SLEE can generically transmit and receive communications through the connector/wrapper interface regardless of the implementation details of the underlying client components. Rather, only the wrapper requires specific knowledge of the implementation details of the underlying client components. Hence, in accordance with the inventive arrangements, the complexity of the SLEE can be reduced. Moreover, a SLEE configured in accordance with the inventive arrangements need not be directly bound to particular client components.
An application execution environment for an intelligent network which has been configured in accordance with the inventive arrangements can include a SLEE; at least one client component wrapper, the at least one client component wrapper providing an abstracted interface for a specific client component; and, at least one connector associated with the SLEE, the at least one connector corresponding to at least one client component wrapper, wherein the connector is configured to communicate with a client component through an abstracted interface provided by the corresponding at least one client component wrapper. Notably, the SLEE can be a JAIN-compliant SLEE.
In one aspect of the present invention, the application execution environment can further include a SLEE descriptor, the SLEE descriptor specifying at least one client component wrapper with which a connector associated with the SLEE can be configured to communicate. Additionally, the application execution environment can include at least one client component descriptor, each client component descriptor corresponding to a specific client component having a corresponding client component wrapper with which a connector in the SLEE has been configured to communicate, the at least one client component descriptor specifying particular events for which the specific client component can be notified by the SLEE. The specific client component can be selected from the group consisting of a protocol stack, an external application component, and a service component executing in the SLEE. Also, the specific client component can be selected from the group consisting of a call-control component, a signaling protocol component, a connectivity management protocol, and a secure network access protocol.
A method of communicatively linking a SLEE to a client component in an application execution environment of an integrated network can include the steps of configuring a connector in the SLEE to communicate with a client component wrapper having an associated client component, the client component wrapper providing an interface to the associated client component; receiving events in the configured connector from the associated client component, wherein the events are directed to an event handler in the SLEE; and, transmitting events from the event handler in the SLEE through configured connector to the client component through the client component wrapper. In consequence, the SLEE can be communicatively linked to the client component through the client component wrapper without requiring the SLEE to have specific knowledge of the client component.
Importantly, the step of configuring the connector in the SLEE can include the steps of identifying in a SLEE descriptor a particular client component; loading the particular client component identified in the SLEE descriptor; and, configuring the connector to communicate with a client component wrapper associated with the particular client component. Additionally, the method can include identifying in a subscription descriptor configuration parameters for configuring the connector to communicate with the client component wrapper associated with the particular client component; and, configuring the connector in accordance with the identified parameters in the subscription descriptor. Finally, the step of configuring the connector in accordance with the identified parameters in the subscription descriptor can include registering the connector to receive particular events received in the event handler in the SLEE, wherein the particular events are specified in the subscription descriptor.
The present invention can be embodied in a machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for communicatively linking a SLEE to a client component in an application execution environment of an integrated network. More particularly, the computer program can have a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of configuring a connector in the SLEE to communicate with a client component wrapper having an associated client component, the client component wrapper providing an interface to the associated client component; receiving events in the configured connector from the associated client component, wherein the events are directed to an event handler in the SLEE; and, transmitting events from the event handler in the SLEE through configured connector to the client component through the client component wrapper. As a result, the SLEE can be communicatively linked to the client component through the client component wrapper without requiring the SLEE to have specific knowledge of the client component.